UFC's president Dana White has explicitly stated that any fighter who appears in Electronic Art's new MMA game would never fight in the UFC. The UFC, short for Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a mixed martial arts league that has a huge fanbase in the United States and is growing. Electronic Arts owns the publishing rights to many of the most famous sports video game franchises like Tiger Woods PGA tour, Madden NFL, FIFA, and NASCAR.

According to Dana White, this all began a year and a half ago when he tried to pitch the idea of a MMA video game to EA, but they replied "You're not a real sport. We wouldn't touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this", over the phone. He stated that they refused to even meet with him and that the thought of publishing an MMA game "disgusted" them.

So far, EA hasn't made any public statement responding to Dana White's accusations. But I wouldn't hold my breath, though Dana White has a reputation for treating his fighters unfairly, he doesn't have a reputation for lying. My thoughts are that what he's saying is true, though possibly exaggerated, and now he's reacting like a spoiled child who's been insulted. He's punishing any fighter who's trying to earn more money on top of the paltry sum he gives them.

So far two of UFC's own fighters have signed up, Randy Couture and Tim Kennedy. After a court appearance by Randy Couture, it looks like he will remain in the UFC and still star in EA's game, but Dana has stated publicly that no other fighter should expect the same consequences and it looks like Tim Kennedy might have to start looking for a new league to join, if his current contract with UFC doesn't contain a non-compete clause; I'm thinking it does. Fedor Emelianenko will also be headlining in the game. It will be interesting to see what effects this has on his negotiations with UFC. So far it's unknown if there will be other UFC fighters starring in EA's game but I'm hoping that there will be.

Well, I've watch the latest review for Wii Sports Resorts by the infamous Zero Punctuation. In case you haven't here it is:

While I understand that the reason he is so popular is his gimmicky editing, I do consider him an actual critic of video games. It's because of that that I am bothered by his latest video review. Several times in the review he states that he dislikes the Wii and what it "represents". I'm assuming he feels that it's just a gimmick that's using technology that's been around for awhile. Then what the hell is the Xbox 360 and PS3?

He also says later in the video that the development time could have been better spent elsewhere like VR goggles. Venturing outside the overused typical format, the gamepad/controler, which has been around for years is what the Wii is doing, and I think it has worked in that it has forced other companies to also try something different, say for example Microsoft's Project NATAL. If it wasn't for the Wii, the next generation of consoles would probably be the exact same as the last 4 or 5 generation of consoles, but no Sony is considering a magic wand, Microsoft is developing a full body motion sensor, and I'm betting there will be more innovative input devices in the next system. And actually, someone has used the Wii Remote to develop a form of VR display, which was developed by Johnny Lee, who is currently working on Project NATAL. You can view that video at the bottom.

Anyways, the core of his review is not useful at all, as all he states are which games within Wii Sports Resort are ported from the earlier games, which any user could have deduced from reading the description on the back of the game cover. Everything else is pretty much him ranting about wii motion control, which is pointless because if the user is considering buying the Wii Sports Resort, then they obviously have a Wii and have no problem with the Wii remote.

The discussion panel with some of the developers for Assassin's Creed 2 cross-edited with some gameplay footage. At the end, there is an interview with the president of Hybride Studios, Pierre Raymond, who discusses the film that will introduce players to the new character, Giovanni.

Some of the improvements are obvious, improved graphics and much more detailed game world. The night sky in the clip of the "assassinate from ledge" looks amazing. It's mentioned that instead of the 4 types of missions, there will be 15 different kinds. I hope that this variety in objectives makes it easier to immerse yourself in the game while experiencing its world, though the first one did a great job at that. Removing load times between areas would be a big help to towards that goal.

So I've been a World of Warcraft almost since launch in 2004, and before that I was an Everquest player for over 5 years. I had a great time in Everquest, playing my necromancer. I remember the first time I reached the level cap, it was such an achievement back then to reach it. In those days, attaining a new level in an MMORPG was a big deal and saying the words "ding" were usually followed by "!!!!11!1!1!!!!!!!!". Nowadays, you can grind your way to level 80 in World of Warcraft in a month if you had the spare time. And death, oh boy; dying in Everquest meant a lot more because you lost on average 1-2 hours of exp grinding each death. Even your corpse run was a lot harder as you were not a "ghost" in Everquest. You actually had to run back to where you died, alive, and without any equipment. The corpse run was made easier in Planes of Power.

But anyways, enough about my rant on the risks and rewards of MMORPGs. I think it's time move onto a new type of MMO. There seems to be a new fantasy MMORPG made every freakin' hour, most of them being spawned out of Korea, the latest of which is Aion. My friends had talked about Eve Online before, but I never gave it much thought. I was a huge fan of Babylon 5 and Star Trek DS9(which is my favorite), and watching the gameplay footage for Eve Online excites me like I haven't been in awhile. Massive battles, ship vs ship combat, and resource management seem like a big change and I hope Eve Online won't disappoint.

This is the new video that caught my attention. It's a new video made by CCP Games that definitely perked my interest.

Here are the characters I've built over the years. Yes, no lvl 80s yet, I've been too busy playing alts, to concentrate on one guy. The last Deathknight was recreated on a new server which was closer to my time zone after having moved to a different country.

Youda Sushi Chef is an addictive game that I found having to pull myself away from to write this post. Although the it looks rather simple, the same reason that The Sims does so well is why this game is so addictive.

You are a sushi chef who must make sushi rolls for yuppies who can't get enough of it. While making it, if you find yourself overwhelmed then you can do a knife juggling act or serve sake to give yourself some more time. The ingredients for the rolls will run dry and you must make the call for restocking while serving the customers. The difficulty increases through faster customers, and more sushi recipes that you must memorize. Although there is always the recipe book to refer to, you are forced to memorize them or lose customers.

In between rounds, you have a chance to use the money you earned to buy upgrades to your store that can increase the speed of the conveyor belt, your sushi rolling time, the effects of the knife trick, fancier sake bottles, or even aesthetic improvements to the decor of the restaurant.

I found myself disappointed in the first 20 seconds of the game, but after finishing the first round, as the difficulty increased, it became more challenging I found myself drawn to it. In essence, this game is a visual coordination game that requires memorization. This flash game is also available as a Windows PC game.

Apparently this is a video of a Halo demo on the NDS that was an unsolicited pitch to Bungie. They, of course, turned it down, most likely not wanting to incur the wrath of M$.One of the IGN staff members, Matt Casamassina, was the first to discover and play this demo in 2007. It looks like a pretty great concept and hopefully there will be some "hardcore" FPS games released on the NDS in the future.

Of the many things shown in this video, what excites me most is the new weapons, improved graphics, and being able to rain death down on a multiplayer map from a AC130 Gunship, similar to the one in the single player campaign in the COD4. Many new options are featured as part of the customizable kill streak bonuses.

Here is another flash game made by an independent developer Borne Games. It's a 2D flash based version of the 3D game that was released earlier. It's currently being developed by Borne Games and EA. There haven't been any updates yet, but it's still new and most of all, it's completely free to play. No premium accounts whatsovever. You can follow them on twitter at @mirrorsedge2dIt plays like a fast-paced platformer. There are no enemies, just you and the city. You just have to make it to the end of the level by running, jumping, sliding, wall running, climbing, hanging, swinging, and rolling around. The main goal is to finish the level as quickly as possible, acquiring as many bags as you can. The music playing in the game is great and even after some levels it's still not become annoyingly repetitive which happens in so many other flash games. The serenity of the music adds to the smoothness of the movement and of the game in general.

I can describe it more, but there's no better way to experience it then to try it yourself.

I usually don't post about flash-based games but I'm still waiting on my laptop, so until I get a new one I'll be spending time searching for low system req games. Actually, I found this game last year but recently replayed the entire game because I'm currently on vacation.

It' plays pretty much like the old SmashTV game on NES, or any of the various Zelda games. It's a top-down game in which you move from room to room, clearing each one by killing all the enemies with your blaster.

Okay here are the reasons why you will be addicted to the game; the movement is incredibly smooth, movement is made even easier because of mouse targeting, the graphics are well-done but not overly flashy, and difficulty scales perfectly as you advance.

Wow, when I read about an entire mod of Chrono Trigger done by a team who planned to release it for free, I was happily surprised, but when I read on that Square Enix sent a cease and desist letter to the team days before it was scheduled to be released I was much less surprised... and much more saddened.

The project began back in 2004(yes the assholes decided to let the team work on it for 5 years before asking them to stop) and is titled, Chrono Trigger: Crimson Skies. By the time work had stopped, it was at 98% completion and had 35 hours of gameplay (30 hours more than some RPGs I've played... FABLE!!!), 23 chapters, and 10 different endings. That already is quite an accomplishment. Many development studios take much more than 5 years and present much less to customers. These guys must have been quite dedicated.

Ever since the merger, Square Enix has been alienating and angering many of its long time fans. Imagine a little mom and pop's shop that serves the freshest, most mouth watering hamburgers you have ever eaten. There are even freshly cooked hand-cut french fries and home made pie. The next day you head over there, but instead of the store that you've grown to love more than your own child, you see a fuckin' Mcdonalds, and inside there are screaming children, obese parents, and the most disgusting teenage workers you've ever seen. That's what happened to Square.

Anyways, enough of my rant about them, here are some videos of the gameplay they released;

Looks like a new trailer is out for the latest in the Splinter Cell series. This game has been in development for quite a few years. I remember reading the interview with Mathieu Ferland the Senior Producer of Splinter Cell: Conviction. Among other things, he stated in the interview with videogamer.com that he was hoping the game would be released by Christmas, that interview was in 2007. So yes, we have been waiting quite awhile for this game. Hopefully, all of the increased expectations doesn't destroy this game like so many others *cough* Spore *cough*.

Some of the new features that stand out are the new methods of receiving mission objectives, crowd manipulation(similar to stealthing in Assassin's Creed), more seamless transition between locations, and more character driven storyline, Sam is on his own this time, without any help or support from higher ups. The message you can see from the trailer below at 0:14 seconds and 0:19 seconds is using the same notification method that will be used for mission updates and directions.

Even in an interview with Gamespot UK in June of this year, the development team has still remained tight lipped about whether a multi-player option will be included in this game. I am truly hoping they do include one, even if it means another half year of development. So many games have performed poorly in the market despite incredible design and superb marketing solely because of a lack of multi-player. Without multi-player, there is almost no replay value. Sure they can create leaderboards and DLC, but that is inadequate when competing against the latest games.

If they do include multi-player in this game, I hope that they will reuse the mult-player found in the previous Splinter Cell games. The Merc vs. Spy style combat is innovative and fun. As a merc, you will be engaging the spies in a FPS(first person shooter) style combat, while the spies use play as stealth fighter, similar to what you do in the single player campaigns. I am hoping they will finish development soon as the anticipation is unbearable, especially after seeing the amazing new trailer from Comic Con.

The premise of the game is Sam Fisher arrives in Malta to investigate the death of his daughter. Things begin to unravel and Sam is recalled to Washington. Sam then deals with a conspiracy in Washington...

Here is the preview at Comic Con

Here is a demo from E3 2009

An interview with one of the developers in June of this year

UPDATE: looks like the release date has been pushed back to early 2010.SOURCE: CrunchGear